Mike Wolanin | The Republic Lena Blackstock, from left, of Process/Practice Studio, moderates a panel discussion on homelessness in Columbus with Kelly Daugherty, executive director of Love Chapel, Megan Cherry, executive director of Anchor House in Seymour, and Diane Doup, community outreach at Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, at Donner Center in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Nov. 17, 2023.
About 150 people attended a community conversation on homelessness Thursday night.
The event, which was held at Donner Center, included discussion by representatives from local nonprofits and a time for feedback and questions.
Panelists included Kelly Daugherty with Love Chapel, Diane Doup with the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center and Megan Cherry with Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Pantry in Seymour.
Lena Blackstock of Process/Practice Studio moderated the nonpartisan event, which she said was initiated by Columbus City Council members Elaine Hilber, Grace Kestler and Frank Miller.
“We’re hoping that this meeting will be the first in a series and not a one-and-done type of event,” Blackstock said. “So we’re hoping to have follow-up conversations as we move into the next year. I want to reiterate too that this is a complex question and challenge that we’re thinking about. And so we’re not going to leave with a concrete answer today, but instead we’re hoping we can all leave here tonight with a shared understanding, some direction and some momentum.”
As community members entered the event, they were encouraged to contribute to a “wall of terminology” and write their own definitions for words such as dignity, chronic and temporary homelessness, panhandling and social services.
The forum then got underway with Blackstock prompting the panelists to speak about different aspects of their work and the challenges local communities face.
For instance, she asked if there were examples they could share of instances where communities were able to be proactive about helping people before homelessness became an issue.
Daugherty replied that this is their goal, and there are about 20 different organizations who meet every Thursday to discuss solutions for clients who are struggling.
However, he added that it would be helpful if there was some sort of “central clearinghouse” in the community.
One issue, Daugherty said, is that some people who are facing financial trouble don’t reach out for help until after something bad happens, such as their electricity being shut off.
“If we can find a way to help navigate them before it gets to that point, it would make a world of difference in what we do,” Daugherty said.
Another challenge is that some people may see an increase in income but lose their eligibility for support, said Doup.
“Because they’ve done something good, they’re basically being punished, because it’s put them down even lower than where they were,” she said. “So is there a way for us to help people, incentivize those who are doing good, and when they get to those points, help them so that they don’t get worse, financially, than where they started?”
In discussing community response to homelessness, Cherry emphasized the need for cities to have an “honest conversation,” absent of partisan divides, about duty to one’s fellow man.
She added that there needs to be a seat at the table for people with lived experience as well as policymakers.
“They’re going to have a better understanding of what the real need is,” she said.
Additionally, Doup said that the community needs to discuss different types of homelessness. She said that examples include people who couch-surf, families living together, individuals who live in shelters and those who live in hotels.
“It’s going to take a multifaceted approach,” she said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all. And it’s going to take all of us.”
She also said that while people may assume that the clients of local nonprofits “aren’t motivated or aren’t trying,” there are many who are, and it’s not easy to escape poverty.
Doup and Cherry said that their organizations work to provide a “hand up” rather than a handout.
“With the clients that we work with and serve, we always say at the very beginning, ‘We are not going to work harder than you are on your success,’” said Cherry. “…We want people to know that we are not in the business of recycling resources over and over on folks that really don’t want to make a lasting change.”
When asked about inspiring stories from other communities, Daugherty discussed efforts to use tiny homes to house individuals in need, and Doup pointed to work being done by Cook Medical Inc to provide workforce housing. According to Inside INdiana Business, the Bloomington-based company is investing in 300 homes across south-central Indiana, and the majority of these will be sold to its employees.
“What a creative way to remove some of the barriers that employees are facing,” said Doup. “Could we, as a community, look at different examples like that?”
However, Cherry noted that one community’s solution may not always work for another locale, and it’s important to focus on the root causes that are impacting people.
Daugherty admitted that, for his part, he used to think of Columbus as a wealthy city that was doing well.
“I don’t think the average person realizes what kind of need there is in our community,” he said.
The forum wrapped up with a time for community feedback, with individuals sharing personal experiences, needs they see in the area, suggestions for solutions and other thoughts on the issue.
One resident, Paul Davis, recalled his experience moving to Whiteland as a child in 1946. His family — made up of two parents and six children — lived in an 8- by 23-foot trailer on a vacant lot in a residential area. The family lived there for about eight years before Davis’s father was able to purchase a property where a house had burned down and build a home.
Davis and other speakers called for less regulation from the local planning department and greater flexibility for a variety of living situations.
Individuals also expressed a desire for quality affordable housing, resources that cater to families and individuals with pets, affordable daycare, greater leadership from local government, more awareness of local resources, more facilities for those in need and greater empathy.
“I would like to see us move forward. What you guys are doing is fantastic, but it’s obviously not enough, right?” Melinda Finley said to the panelists. “Because we still have a problem. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but I think as a community, city, county, state, as a whole, as a country, we need to step up. This is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. We should not be in the shape that we’re in, and I’m ashamed that we are.”
Blake Fields with the Bartholomew County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America said that while he sometimes questions how much the community cares about the homeless, the turnout for the forum was reassuring.
“I thought maybe 10 people would show up to this,” he said. “And the number of people in this room made me realize that this community cares a whole awful lot. And I’m really proud to be a part of this community, and I’m so glad that I was wrong.”
